Moonlighting, so what?
Hello there,
Sorry I went missing. Thing is, I joined a new job in a new role and it has taken me four months to slowly acclimatise. I’ve joined Plum to lead content and community and the role has been exciting (touchwood).
In my first piece this year, I write on why I believe moonlighting (working for multiple paying jobs), is here to stay. While, moonlighting may not be new, this time, employees have a disdain for organisations and work from their own territories, hence making it much easier to own their time. Read the piece for my arguments and predictions.
As usual, I ‘d love your feedback.
Nisha
Recently, news has been rife about moonlighting. An employee was caught working for seven companies. This trend has especially troubled the IT industry. But, what if I told you, moonlighting isn't new. It has existed in multiple forms and will continue to. Startups have formed while Founders have been moonlighting (example: Flipkart, Freshworks), many consultants moonlight before they go fully independent or for that matter, so do teachers by giving tuitions or many employees have their side-projects or hustles. 'As per the Labour Law in India, if you are fully employed, you cannot have your own business or even work elsewhere. However, people have found ways to circumvent this', says Bhagyashree Pancholy, Legal Advisor, All Remotely.
Why is moonlighting irking us more than ever before?
There are three specific reasons moonlighting today is different than it was before. Earlier, employees knew they had a steady job and there was lure for additional income and following passions. Things have changed since.
There is a disdain for organisations: The history of organisations dates back to the 1800s to the Babylonian code of Hammurabi, which included the first wage and incentive programs. Organisations were formed to protect ‘labour’, however, in the knowledge-era they are grappling to define their own existence.
“People are quitting jobs they don’t enjoy in a matter of weeks. Going forward, organisations will have to evaluate roles they will hire for full time and those that they will contract,” says Arjun Pratap, CEO and Founder, EDGE Networks, an AI based HR tech company.
Territories and power centres have shifted: quoting from a MINT report, ‘for most individuals, employment in the formal sector is a monogamous relationship. The main reason this single-employer loyalty existed was that work was being done in a place owned by the employer. But, as individuals work more from their own personal territory, they will start taking more ownership of their talents and time.’
People are fully aware that organisations can give up on them and hence they have to safeguard and protect their own interests and in a way, moonlighting is an outcome of that.
There is no need to hold steady jobs: People have realised that work is no longer 9:00 am - 5:00pm. It happens in spurts. Further, in certain professions (like with developers) they can come together for a project, get it done and disassemble in a matter of months. These projects are intensive and highly paying, so if one can work like a lion and rest like an ox, why hold a steady job?
Temporary reactions:
We must give it to several organisations and HR leaders for acknowledging this trend and creating forward-looking policies. I will also call out those who have not accepted it yet, will have to - even reluctantly. Therefore, it is better to be prepared.
Ethical moonlighting:
Shaakun Khanna, Head of HCM Strategy and Transformation, JAPAC, Oracle has recently coined the term, “ethical moonlighting,'' wherein organisations create more than one job opportunity for their employees and encourage them to take up multiple projects within the organisation itself. ‘Think of it as an internal Fiverr,’ he says.
Obviously though, organisations have to be prepared and safeguard their own interests. However, having clear written policies will define the gatekeeping criteria which Shaakun has as a framework for and he calls it, “FICR.” Companies have to prepare for:
Financial interest
Intellectual property
Competitive advantage
Resources (example: laptops, software)
While ethical moonlighting might sound exciting, Bhagyashree Pancholy, Legal Advisor, All remotely says, “In India, the Labour Law only allows you to hold a single employment contract. So, even if organisations offer dual roles to employees, there are two important points to consider: 1) how and will the employee be paid for the second role and 2) will that be specifically called out in their employment contracts (as that is not legally permitted, yet).”
Rise of gig and contractual roles:
When defining roles, companies have to assess a) crystal clear goals b) outcomes c) nature of the job itself (for example: is it recurring by nature or a project that can be completed in a stipulated period of time?).
In the future, we will see the rise of marketplaces or contracting exchanges where companies can bid for talent. Organisations will have to learn to work with these exchanges and may not even hire full-time. Says Arjun, “people are intrinsically designed to consume and money is a huge driver, the faster we accept that and adapt, the better.”
According to a study conducted by ADP Research Institute, the gig economy accounts for a third of the world’s working population. By 2028, the population of US-based freelance workers is projected to reach 90.1 million. Since most knowledge workers want ownership of their time, it would seem like roles have to become flexible too.
My prediction: organisations will become plug-and-play
Work is becoming increasingly decentralised. Even if people are fully employed, they will take up multiple tasks/ jobs to satisfy their wants - monetary, creativity and for passion. The role of the organisation will continue to shrink and people will plug and play as per their roles/ tasks or jobs. Aspects such as organisational culture might also seem far-fetched and people will only engage with their job and not the organisation as a whole.
Organisations of the future will be ‘platforms of talent’: Think of it as a ‘talent exchange’. There will be platforms that will list talent and organisations will bid for the same. Speil such as purpose and culture may not really fit, it will all boil down to the role, the money and the flexibility in getting the task done. Of course, Governance will have to be high and individuals too will have to be more responsible and transparent.
Pay structures will be more equitable: Taking from the idea above, talent prices will be competitive and out in the open. Companies like Buffer and Coinbase already have open and transparent equitable pay policies. In a capitalist society where the winner takes all, openly declaring salary structure is a bold move. It is a start towards equitable wealth-sharing and also democratising payment structures, which means that prospects or employees do not have to ‘shop’ for offers. It further means that ‘skills’ will be valued and hiring will be skills-based and not role-based.
Since the vortex of power is shifting towards employees (it already has), moonlighting is here to stay. It may not be called moonlighting anymore, since it will be the order of the day. Employees will have more than one job and people will bid for their talent and time to get the job done.
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